The ScoopDay 58. Wine 16. Today we look at a wine that I used to buy quite frequently, and now I remember why! The De Bortoli Petit Syrah from Australia is a real pleaser and good quality for the price. I talked about the differences between Syrah, Shiraz, and Petit Syrah before, here. Petit Syrah (also called Durif) is … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 53. Wine 15.
Yes I am keenly aware that I grow ever more behind in maintaining a good flow to achieve my goal of 30 wines reviewed in 90 days. We're only at the half way mark in number of reviews, and yet nearly 10 days past the half way mark for time. I foresee some kind of large, efficient event in my … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 49. Wine 14.
Rarely does a wine make me angry, but this one did the job. It was not good wine. But more than that, it is an organic wine, so probably it will sell well, even though it doesn't deserve to.
In the glass, this wine seemed paler than I would expect a Tempranillo to be. Pinkish brown … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 47. Wine 13.
One of my favorite bargain wines is a brother to this one. I am soon going to break my own rule by reviewing two wines by the same label, and here's why: the red Farnese Sangiovese is scrumpdillyicious, and this white by the same winery, was, disappointedly, the opposite of that. Unfortuate, … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 44. Wine 12. Yes I am behind. Both volume and drama in the workosphere have kept me from you, dear readers. But fear not! I have - indeed! of course! - been drinking for you in my absence. Drinking, yes. Note taking, yes. Posting, no. But I am back on a much more reasonable schedule now - with only … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 33. Wine 11.
Back to the top of the price range today with this hard-to-find beauty. The Wolftrap red (Syrah Mourvedre Viognier) is fairly ubiquitous here in BC, and a favourite of mine for the consistent quality and good value. I used to give the red as Christmas prezzies to staff. But recently I came … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 29. Wine 10.
We're doing a bit of bouncing around the price range for this series and today we're back up at the top of the scale, with a great label out of Chile with a reputation (well, with me at least) for very good quality at reasonable prices. S-- introduced me to this winery waaaay back in the … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 22. Wines 8 and 9.
So I embarked upon an experiment this evening for you, dear readers. By now we may be seeing a small trend emerge - nothing with predictable correlation (yes, I have been working hard on the project this week), but perhaps an ever so slightly developing theme that the more expensive … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 19. Wine 7.
I am drinking a beer tonight. Lest you label me a traitor, hear me out: the bottle I opened last night was not worthy of a second night's imbibing, much less a third. My heart was broken and I am dismissive in my revenge. I'll not suffer in the name of this series!
Things started off well … [Read more...]

The Scoop
Day 17. Wine 6.
We're on a roll with some pretty good cheap wines for around ten bucks! I knew that for this series I would have to give one of the Painted Turtles a try, and in a fit of daring, I grabbed the Merlot instead of another varietal I had sampled before. I didn't think it would be good. I was … [Read more...]